The last call sounded Saturday afternoon for Thomas “Skip” Bischoff, the former Bergen County fire marshal and Wood-Ridge fire chief, as firefighters from his home town and other communities in southern Bergen County turned out for a final farewell.

Bischoff, who died May 22 in North Carolina of a brain hemorrhage, was given a traditional firefighter’s memorial service in Wood-Ridge, with some 200 uniformed firefighters, friends and family attending.

“He’s answered his last alarm,” said Bryan R. Hennig, who succeeded Bischoff nine years ago as county fire marshal, the official in charge of enforcing the state fire code at all county buildings and parks, and being liaison to municipal departments.

Bischoff, who was also the chief fire instructor at the Bergen County Fire Academy, was “well-liked and well-loved,” said Hennig, who knew him for 30 years.

Ladder trucks lofted a large American flag over Humboldt Street and firefighters stood at attention as Bischoff’s cremated remains were placed ceremoniously on the back of a Wood-Ridge fire engine. The breeze riffled the bunting over the fire department’s open bay doors, as the sun shone on a picture-perfect day.

At 12:45, two former chiefs of the Wood-Ridge department, who succeeded Bischoff in that position, took their places on the back of the truck, which was hung with purple and black bunting. Family members climbed into two white chief’s cars, the lights flashing.

Slowly, the procession made its way through Bischoff’s home town, led by bagpipers and drummers. Accompanied by an honor guard, it passed the chief’s former home before returning to the station. In the last block, ranks of firefighters fell in, marching the truck back to the station.

The flag on the flagpole there stood at half-mast. Red, white and blue floral wreaths were arrayed around the corner, and bunting wrapped the bell in front of the municipal building.

Firefighters in attendance represented departments from Carlstadt, East Rutherford, Rutherford, Wallington, Hasbrouck Heights, Moonachie, Little Ferry and Lyndhurst, as well as Wood-Ridge and the Bergen County Fire Academy. The Nam Knights of America motorcycle club also attended.

Said Wood-Ridge’s current fire chief, Scott Russo: “The firefighting family is always together to honor one of our own.”